Addicted to Black

Chapter 1: Before the Fall

Chapter 1

Before the Fall

I hear the alarm. "Sloan! Don't even think about laying there for one more minute, I'm not driving you if you miss the bus this time." Shit. I knew I shouldn't test moms patience, she's not very fond of repeating herself.
I slowly make my way out of the bed and head to the closet, stuck in the thought of do I care enough to look half decent today, or just say fuck it.
I decided that since it's Monday, I'll do the right thing and TRY, whatever the hell that means. I grab my leggings, and the new white muscle tank that I just got from H and M, and decided to pair both with boots and a flannel.
I took one look in the mirror and decided it was good enough... My gaze shifted to my makeup bag and decided a little powder couldn't hurt.
I picked up one of my favorite brushes and started to apply. YouTube makeup tutorials definitely come in handy. I had one final look and that same familiar feeling washed over me, I could hear the voice I dreaded in my head every morning saying "Sloan, you're still black, forget it." I shook the thought out of my head as I've done so many times before, fixed my hair, and with ten minutes left to spare, headed out the door.

I never understood the way highschool is portrayed in old 80's movies. It's nothing at all like how we imagine it to be as kids, especially not in San Francisco. I stood at the bus stop pondering this while listening to pandora waiting for this bus, and of course the commercial ruins my entire morning vibe I tried so hard to conjure up, thank god that at that moment the bus decided to come and I didn't hesitate to get on.

I arrived to school 15 minutes early, that gave me enough time to finish my last minute stats homework, procrastination, ive decided, will be the fucking death of me. "Sloan!" I knew that voice the minute I heard it, "Carter!" I yelled back. Yep, it's Carter, boy best friend since maybe fourth grade, and wonderfully nerdy!
"Where have you been? I felt like you just abandoned me!" Now, Carter is the jealous type and is very good at drama, I guess that's why he's being scouted for performing arts. "Carter, I talked to you yesterday." I said
"I know! It's just you know... Can't get enough of you!" Of course I couldn't help but smile, he definitely knows the right thing to say. I had to end my quick conversation with Carter because I realized the time, Mrs. Patterson is definitely not having any of my shit if I'm late to her class. I gave Carter a quick hug, and made my way down the hall.I loved honors World History, it's definitely the easiest class of my senior year by far. I sit in my regular seat second seat in the second row, not exactly up front but close enough. Mrs. Patterson didn't hesitate to start the lesson, she was quite the go getter. She slowly paced back and forth the way she does before she asks a question, she slowly turns on her stiletto heal and just as I feared, looked directly at me.
I softly mumbled a slight "oh shit," under my breathe. I hated talking in front of people, but Mrs. P wasn't hesitating on taking victims. "Sloan, you had an amazing score on your test, passed with flying colors actually, it looks like you understood the entire concept of intertwined races and their impact on the races of today." She wasn't wrong of course, it was a fairly easy concept to grasp. "Uh... Yeah, sure I guess."
"Well, do you care to explain your method of understanding this particular lesson, I feel like it would help." Mrs. Patterson leaned on the side of her desk and gave me a look that let me know I didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Well, um, to put it simply, I myself am very multi racial, I understood that two or more races can produce an outcome of a person, an outcome no one really sees coming." Mrs. Patterson gave me a look and I knew she wanted me to elaborate. "I have a dark skin tone which indicates me being "black", when actually my mom is Indian and Chinese and German and my dad is of mixed race as well. It doesn't take lighter skin to indicate the mixture of two races." I was feeling fairly confident in my answer when I hear a sudden "Bullshit!" I automatically knew who it was and truth be told, I wasn't in the mood. Jonah Hampton, was the biggest most ignorant asshole I have ever met, and knowing him I prepared myself for the blow.

"You can say I'm being ignorant but we were taught from elementary that any person with pigmented skin has descended from Africa,no matter what you claim your nationality to be" There it is... The ignorance that so many people portray I tried to ignore him the best way I knew how, I started to write. By this time Mrs. Patterson is working at her desk unaware of what was going on. Jonah continued..." Actually, if you ask me a black girl is only sexy if she has lightskin, let's just be honest here!" I could hear him and his friends chuckle and I tried to continue to write. I was distracted by the tears filling up in my eyes, it's hard to turn away from something you've been battling with yourself for so long. It was already hard excepting my own beauty and it's as if once I start building myself back up, life has a fucked up way of pulling me back to square one. "Except you Sloan! For a darkskin girl, I wouldn't mind taking you home with me." Again he erupted with laughter and by this time the tears made their way unto my paper.
"You are the biggest fucking ignorant prick." I heard someone whisper. I turned around and adjusted my vision to the back of the class. He was unlike anyone I've ever seen before, and his green eyes were blazing with anger. "Actually, someone as beautiful as her would never be seen with you a day in her life, and her skin color is just a plus and one of the reasons I'm not kicking your ass."
What the fuck?! Who is he! I turned around fully to see golden brownish blonde hair, a red bandanna, and next to him I swore I saw I pair of drum sticks. Jonah had nothing to say and as soon as the bell rang, he was gone, and so was the mystery boy who not only saved my sanity, but kept me reaching small subtle smiles throughout my entire day.